ABSTRACT
A key issue within the social and political transformation of the newly accepted central European members of the EU is that of the development of rural areas during the process of accession to full membership of the EU. In common with rural areas in many other parts of the world, the challenge comprises improving the competitiveness of local economies in the face of increased global access, alongside an external imperative for political restructuring and accelerating social and cultural change. In Central Europe, an essential component of any analysis of rural development has been the changes in the nature of the relationship between different scales of governance. To fulfil EU requirements during the run up to membership, governance structures had to be built at various levels. Thus, the socioeconomic changes accompanying accession were accompanied by fundamental reforms of political and bureaucratic institutions, creating new relationships between different actors within a quickly evolving rural development arena.
